apresar Imperfect Conjugation

When to Use the Imperfect

Use the imperfect tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past related to capturing, or to set the scene. For example, 'He used to capture birds' or 'The police were capturing the escaped prisoner when...'.

Notes on apresar in the Imperfect

Apresar is regular in the imperfect indicative. All forms follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs in the imperfect: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban.

Example Sentences

• Cuando era niño, yo apresaba insectos con una red.

  When I was a child, I used to capture insects with a net.

  yo

• ¿Tú apresabas a los ratones que entraban?

  Did you used to capture the mice that came in?

  tú

• El guardia apresaba al intruso.

  The guard was capturing the intruder.

  él/ella/usted

• Nosotros apresábamos las oportunidades de mejora.

  We were seizing the opportunities for improvement.

  nosotros

• Ellos apresaban a los fugitivos.

  They used to capture the fugitives.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the preterite 'apresó' for a habitual past action.

  Correct: Use 'apresaba' for habitual or ongoing past actions (e.g., 'Él apresaba los pájaros' - He used to capture birds).

  Why: The imperfect describes continuous or repeated actions in the past, not single completed events.

• Mistake: Confusing 'apresaba' (yo/él/ella/usted) with other forms.

  Correct: Ensure the correct ending is used: '-aba' for yo/él/ella/usted, '-abas' for tú, '-ábamos' for nosotros, '-abais' for vosotros, '-aban' for ellos/ellas/ustedes.

  Why: While the 'yo', 'él/ella/usted' forms are identical, the other pronouns require distinct endings.

Related Tenses